In this game, players didn't have to defeat stages in a specific, preset order. Instead, they were able to freely explore the game's vast new world and choose their own paths to victory. Along the way, Kirby could call his yellow, red, and green Kirby buddies for help by using his trusty cell phone. Kirby could also use new powers. One of them, Smash, was an incredible combat ability that let Kirby unleash his Super Smash Bros. moves.”

Kirby & The Amazing Mirror, known in Japan as 星のカービィ 鏡の大迷宮 (Hoshi no Kābī Kagami no Daimeikyū, meaning Kirby of the Stars: The Great Labyrinth of the Mirror), is a video game in the Kirby series released in 2004 for the Game Boy Advance. This was the last Kirby game that was released for the Game Boy Advance. In the summer of 2011, this game was re-released during the Ambassador program promotion, and was given to certain people for free in the 3DS online shop.

This game has been re-released in Europe for Club Nintendo members only.

Story

The mirror portal to the Mirror World

There is a parallel universe called the Mirror World, with an entrance (that is like a mirror) that exists high in the skies of Dream Land. It is a world where any wish reflected in the mirror will come true. But one day, it only copies evil minds, and rapidly changes into a world of evil as a result. Meta Knight notices this and recognizes this as a threat to not only the Mirror World itself, but also to his native Dream Land, and visits the Mirror World to save the two worlds.

Meanwhile, Kirby is taking a walk, when Dark Meta Knight - an evil Mirror World version of Meta Knight - appears. But before Kirby can react, Dark Meta Knight slices Kirby into four differently-colored "Kirbys". At this point, they have to share the same Warp Star. Kirby normally travels alone, but if his cell phone is working, he can call his friends and they will help him. The four Kirbys chase after Dark Meta Knight and enter the Mirror World.

The two Meta Knights fight each other, but the real Meta Knight is defeated. He is knocked into the mirror, which is then cut into eight fragments by Dark Meta Knight (which are then scattered across the Mirror World) - so now it's up to Kirby and his new "clones" to save Meta Knight, the Mirror World, and Dream Land...

...So, they decide to venture through the Mirror World, collect the Mirror Shards and reunite them, so they can gain access to the area where Meta Knight is being held and defeat Dark Meta Knight (and also to defeat the mastermind behind the whole thing, Dark Mind). At the end, it shows that all the Kirbys have their own Warp Stars, showing that they are heroes in their own right.

Gameplay

Unlike other Kirby games, Kirby & The Amazing Mirror features a maze layout (in a fashion similar to the Metroid and Hebereke games). It is very nonlinear, allowing the player to explore the Mirror World freely. The game map branches out in several directions, similar to certain areas of The Great Cave Offensive, and, providing Kirby has the proper power at his disposal, he is able to go anywhere in almost any order, excluding the final level. If the player gains access to all mirrors (excluding the mirror the player is collecting shards for), they will be able to access a new mirror full of Copy Pedestals for their use.

The game also features multiplayer, which is available through using a Multi-Pak and the player can call other players or CPU-controlled Kirbys to the location with an in-game cell phone. There are several new powers in Kirby & The Amazing Mirror, such as Cupid (called Angel in the Japanese version), which allows Kirby to fly around with wings and a halo and fire arrows, Missile, which turns Kirby into a missile that can be guided in any direction and will explode on contact with a wall or an enemy, or when the B button is hit, and Smash, which gives Kirby the abilites he had on Super Smash Bros. Melee. Also, in this version, Kirby's ability to inhale various things has been enhanced, expanding its mouth for stronger inhaling, until he needs to exhale.

Sub-games

Kirby flies through an area on the Warp Star filled with 1UPs and various types of food. The goal is to collect what is desired while avoiding obstructions in the form of concrete blocks before time runs out. If one of the blocks is hit, control will be lost for about a second, although Kirby takes no damage.

Music

Glitches

References to Other Media

Kirby's Adventure/Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land: Many bosses in this game are counterparts of the bosses from Adventure and Nightmare in Dream Land, such as King Golem, Wiz, and Dark Mind for example. Also, this game's graphics (which were reused in Squeak Squad and [to a much lesser extent] Super Star Ultra) come straight from Nightmare in Dream Land.

Super Smash Bros. Melee: Master Hand appears as a mid-boss giving the "Smash" ability (giving Kirby his Melee moveset) and later appears as a boss along with Crazy Hand. Both fight exactly the same way as they do in the Smash Bros. series, with some slight differences.

Reception

Kirby & The Amazing Mirror was generally met with good reviews, receiving an average of 80/100 on Metacritic.com.

Game Rankings - 78%

IGN - 8/10 (Impressive)

GameSpot - 8.2/10 (Great)

GameSpy - 4/5

Nintendo Power - 4/5 (Great)

1UP.com - 8/10

X-Play - 3/5 (Good)

Trivia

This game's engine was built upon Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land. Some differences include the 4-player co-op mode being greatly expanded and some abilities being fixed and no longer giving the remake's lag time.

This game is very similar to The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords, as in that game Link has three clones that have appeared because of a sword (each with a unique color).